Princess Philomene is taken from her home and added to the King's Harem. Multipart series/work in progress
Captive
I:
The throne loomed large at the far end of the long chamber. The hall was lined by cedar pillars festooned with the banners of conquered foes while courtiers, servants, and dignitaries milled about in finery. The king sat in a throne of ivory, intricately carved and adorned with gold. He was solidly built, muscles rippled beneath dark skin that glistened in the flickering light that emanated from bronze braziers. A leopard skin draped over a powerful shoulder, he wore simple sandals of woven grass on his feet. Aside from the gold necklaces that adorned his mostly bare chest he wore nothing else.
Philomene was naked save for her chains. A heavy iron collar encircled her neck, with two thick chains connecting to the harsh manacles that bound her wrists and a leather leash, held by a tall, striking, dark woman in a gown of lilac gossamer silk. Meyre, the Steward of the Royal House, had prepared Philomene for her exhibition. Servants had first scrubbed her olive skin with salt, then anointed her in fragrant oils and combed her thick mass of dark hair. Then she had been dragged into Meyre's chambers. Philomene still remembered her words, their harsh nature belied by the soft lilt of her Askani accent.
"You are no longer a princess." she began. Her words had been matter of fact, as if she were discussing the weather and not the upending of Philomene's entire world. Meyre, just as casually, reiterated the terms of the deal that had seen her plucked from her home, her family, and everything she knew, and landed her in the palace of a foreign king chained like a common slave. Hostage. That was the word she used. Her father, the once proud Archon of Itherea, had agreed to pay a tribute to King Rozan ars Karaka and his Askani horde in exchange for lifting the siege on his city. At Rozan's insistence, his youngest daughter had been part of the bargain. Philomene had been transported by ship, along with chests of gold. When she had been unceremoniously locked in a small room in the servants' quarters and fed a meager diet of gruel and tepid water for nearly a week she had surmised her life as a princess was over. When Meyre went on to tell her that her role was now to serve the pleasure of the king, she had assumed she was to be some sort of servant. But Meyre set her right quickly.
"Your body is no longer yours, it belongs to the king. He will use you as he wishes. Accept your fate and serve dutifully and you will live a long life. Please him and you will live the life of a well kept pet. You be given lavish quarters, food, and wine to your heart's content."
Philomene raised her chin defiantly, though she knew better than to speak. Perhaps it was her nakedness, or the heavy chains hanging from her neck, or the mocking laughter in the steward's brown eyes. Meyre laughed.
"As I expected, your first instinct is defiance. You are a princess, no man's pet. But, as I said, you are no longer a princess. I will demonstrate."β¨β¨With a flash, she struck Philomene across the face. The blow was hard, hard enough that she saw stars.
"I could not so strike a princess without consequence. Where I to have lain a hand on you in your father's court in Itherea I would lose that hand. But-" she gestured around the chamber, "See? No one comes to your aid". The steward returned to her cushioned couch, crossing one long brown leg over the other as she waited for the lesson to sink in. Philomene nodded, her green eyes full of tears. Meyre slowly and deliberately reached for a little copper bell on the table in front of her.